Chelsea’s Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic and Ziyech wanted by Barcelona

Barcelona may be the biggest club on the planet, but to say it still has the appeal of the olden days would be ignorant. The Blaugrana are in the midst of a full-scale rebuild after the dismissal of manager Ronald Koeman. Xavi now takes over a Lionel Messi-less team that is sitting mid-table in La Liga. To make matters worse, Barcelona’s financial situation is one of the worst in the world. Nevertheless, the arrogant and unrealistic ambition remains as the Blaugrana look to be targeting a Chelsea attacking trio.

Despite having little-to-no money to spend, Xavi has made some steep demands to the Barcelona board. According to reports from AS, the new gaffer wants the Blaugrana to add a lot of attacking strength from the Premier League. This wishlist includes the likes of Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara, Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and three Blues wingers. Barcelona wants to bring in Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, which won’t sit well with the Chelsea hierarchy. These rumors mark the beginning of silly season as the winter transfer window inches closer.

Barcelona is looking to add three Chelsea wingers to its ranks in January

The Blues have an embarrassment of riches and this latest rumor goes to show just that. While none of the aforementioned wingers are regulars in the reigning Champions of Europe’s starting XI, Thomas Tuchel simply won’t part ways with all three. This is especially true considering the Blaugrana want them in January, when it’s incredibly difficult to complete high-profile deals, as opposed to the summer. It’s easy to pick out players not getting their desired play time at a current club and claim to want them; actually completing the transfer is a whole other story.

The most obvious ‘no’ in this rumor is Hudson-Odoi. The young Englishman has established himself as a solid option on the left wing lately for the Blues. He has stepped up big time during Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner’s absences. Hudson-Odoi has finally made a legitimate case to be Chelsea’s starting left winger after some stellar recent outings. The 21-year-old was given the opportunity to spend this year on loan at Dortmund after not seeing the pitch much, but Tuchel blocked the move without a second thought. There is no chance Chelsea lets him leave in any capacity during the winter window as he’s poised to have a career year under the German gaffer.

Things begin to get a bit more interesting from here.

Pulisic has missed over 40 games in his short-lived Chelsea career thus far. He’s not getting the playing time he deserves under Tuchel because he’s seemingly stuck in an endless loop. Pulisic is almost always either recovering from an injury or regaining the momentum he lost with each knock. He’s one of the most skilled young players in world football—his ability to drive at defenders with the ball at his feet and his instinct for goal are seemingly unmatched amongst young wingers—but the best ability a player can have is availability. Tuchel has had to make it work without the American recently. Whether he’s willing to part with one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League is a decision he and the board will have to make relatively soon.

Before going any further it’s important to acknowledge the laughable nature of the report. Barcelona may be interested in these three talented footballers but it’s highly unlikely Joan Laporta is planning to inquire about all three in the winter. All of that said, if one of the players mentioned in the report is going to leave Stamford Bridge in the near future, Ziyech is probably the betting favorite. It’s no secret the Moroccan was a transfer from the Frank Lampard wishlist. The former Ajax man is an incredibly creative footballer with a lethal left foot. His attacking versatility made him perfect for Lampard’s attacking style of football. Nevertheless, he’s an odd fit for Tuchel.

Ziyech has struggled to break into the side ever since the 48-year-old took charge of Chelsea. He, like Pulisic, has enjoyed his fair share of injuries too. However, inconsistency has also played a big part. Ziyech is too unpredictable for the Blues. Supporters will either get a performance that was promised upon the Moroccan Magician’s arrival or a showing that sees him lose the ball constantly and fail to create many chances. Not to mention, he struggles to press as effectively and quickly as Tuchel requires. Ziyech is a super talented footballer—there’s no denying that—the fit just seems odd in Chelsea’s current way of playing. For these reasons there have been rumors surrounding his exit for quite awhile. If Xavi and Barcelona truly do come calling for the former Wizard of Amsterdam, it’s difficult to see he or the club turning down the opportunity.

The Blues have dealt with a decent number of annoying suitors for their young talent over the years. The most relevant example of this is Bayern Munich‘s persistent courting of Hudson-Odoi. However, the board should look at this as an opportunity. Chelsea can fully commit to Tuchel’s future by offloading Ziyech and bringing him a world class winger. The Blues have a plethora of attacking options at this moment in time a tireless, goalscoring wide man is all that’s missing. Barcelona is offering Chelsea a ‘get out of jail free’ card in a sense. Regardless, the Blues probably won’t be getting rid of Hudson-Odoi or Pulisic anytime soon, so Barcelona can keep dreaming.

What do you make of the latest rumors coming out of Camp Nou? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!